Cinemassacre's Monster Madness

This time, it’s the 70s with Happy Days' episode Haunted!

First up is the 1960s with The Addams Family - Halloween, Addams Style!

Every October, it's a tradition to watch the original John Carpenter's Halloween, but what about the horror movies the characters are watching in Halloween? It's a familiar trope, the movie within the movie, something to compliment what's actually happening in the film. It could be a tribute to the movies the director grew up, but could there be more of a reason why these movies are on the TV? Is there a reason why Carpenter chose The Thing (1951), Forbidden Planet, and Night of the Living Dead specifically, or, was it all at random? That's what I'm investigating today!

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990) Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Tony and James review Tales from the Darkside: The Movie. It's a 1990 American comedy horror anthology film directed by John Harrison, and based on the anthology television series of the same name. The film depicts a kidnapped paperboy who tells three stories of horror to the suburban witch who is preparing to eat him. The first of three dark tales involves resentful student Bellingham (Steve Buscemi) looking to an Egyptian mummy for help in settling some scores. Then, hit man Halston (David Johansen) is contracted to kill a cat that has terrorized and even killed members of an extremely wealthy family. Lastly, struggling artist Preston (James Remar) witnesses a demon commit a bizarre murder on a city street, but agrees to keep it a secret when the devilish being promises wealth in return for his silence.

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Justin and James review Jacob's Ladder, the 1990 American psychological horror film directed by Adrian Lyne. After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rapidly falls apart as the world and people around him morph and twist into disturbing images. His girlfriend, Jezzie (Elizabeth Peña), and ex-wife, Sarah (Patricia Kalember), try to help, but to little avail. Even Singer's chiropractor friend, Louis (Danny Aiello), fails to reach him as he descends into madness.

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Kieran and James Review Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects. In Ruggsville, Texas, the police under the command of Sheriff John Quincy Wydell attack the house of the sadistic serial killers Firefly family (a.k.a. The Devil's Reject) and they arrest mother Firefly, but Otis B. Driftwood and Baby Firefly escape from the siege. Tiny is wandering nearby the house and also escapes. Otis and Baby call their patriarch, the mad clown Captain Spaulding and they schedule to reunite at an isolated motel in the desert. When Otis and Baby arrive, they kidnap two families of singers, using sadism and violence against the harmless persons. Meanwhile, Sheriff Wydell promises to capture and kill the runaways, seeking revenge for the death of his brother, the Deputy George Wydell. Stay tuned to the end for a mini Review of 3 From Hell!

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Tony and James review all five of the Phantasm movies. Phantasm is an American horror film series that consists of five films. It's about the Tall Man, a supernatural and malevolent undertaker who turns the dead into dwarf zombies to do his bidding and take over the world. The movies consist of: Phantasm (1979) Phantasm II (1988) Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994) Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998) Phantasm: Ravager (2016)

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Tony and James review Peter Jackson's Braindead aka Dead Alive from 1992. It's New Zealand splatstick zombie comedy film about a young man's mother being bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey. She gets sick and dies, at which time she comes back to life, killing and eating dogs, nurses, friends, and neighbors.

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! This is the pilot episode of Cage Match, which might lead to a Rental Review month of other Cage Matches. Justin and James let two Nicolas Cage movies duke it out, today it's Mandy VS. 8mm. Both over the top films where Cage is put to the test. In Mandy the enchanted lives of a couple in a secluded forest are brutally shattered by a nightmarish hippie cult and their demon-biker henchmen, propelling a man into a spiraling, surreal rampage of vengeance. In 8mm a private investigator is hired to discover if a "snuff film" is authentic or not. Who will win??

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Kieran and James review M, the Fritz Lang Classic. M is a 1931 German drama-thriller film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre. The film was written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou and was the director's first sound film. In this classic thriller, Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre), a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellent and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network.

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Justin and James review a classic kid's Halloween film... until they realize it's way worse than they remember. Spaced Invaders is a 1990 American science fiction comedy directed by Patrick Read Johnson and starring Douglas Barr, Royal Dano and Ariana Richards. Dimwitted Martians drop into a little Illinois town on the day that the local radio station happens to rebroadcast Orson Welles 1938 "War Of The Worlds".

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Mike and James review both Gremlins films. The Halloween/Christmas/Office classic!! The first film is about a boy who inadvertently breaks three important rules concerning his new pet and unleashes a horde of malevolently mischievous monsters on a small town. The sequel is about the Gremlins coming back, and this time, they've taken control of a New York City media mogul's high-tech skyscraper.

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Tony and James review Brazil's first horror film, "At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul," (Portuguese: À Meia-Noite Levarei Sua Alma). It features the first appearance of Coffin Joe (José Mojica Marins) of the Coffin Joe Trilogy. A wicked undertaker whose wife cannot bear children, Joe conspires to impregnate Terezinha (Magda Mei) in her stead. When several people in the small town are found murdered, Dr. Rodolfo suspects Joe's involvement. A gypsy warns Joe of tragedy, but he dismisses her as a fraud -- only to discover that revenge may live beyond the grave.

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Kieran and James review one of James' horror films made 20 years ago. This old-school Cinemassacre horror classic, shot on VHS, edited with two-VCR's. A psychologically disturbed man is haunted by a disembodied dummy head and a mysterious man completely shrouded in black.

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Tony and James review a movie about man's worst friend: this film. Man's Best Friend is a 1993 American horror comedy film, directed and written by John Lafia. It stars Ally Sheedy and Lance Henriksen. It's messy when a genetically engineered dog escapes from the science facility where it was created. A family takes it in unaware of its deadly instincts which soon emerge. The scientist who created the dog tries to find it before its too late.

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Justin and James review one of Robin Williams' best performances. One Hour Photo is a 2002 American psychological drama film written and directed by Mark Romanek and starring Robin Williams. In the film a mentally unstable photo developer targets a middle-class family after his obsession with them becomes more sick and disturbing than any of them could imagine.

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Kieran and James review one of the best Ernest movies of all time. Ernest Scared Stupid is a 1991 American comedy horror film directed by John R. Cherry III and starring Jim Varney. It is the fifth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell.

Welcome to Monster Madness 2019!! Mike and James review one of the worst movies in William Shatner's career. Incubus is a 1966 black-and-white American horror film filmed entirely in the constructed language Esperanto.

Tony and James review one of the most iconic franchises in horror: EVIL DEAD!! It's an American supernatural horror comedy film franchise created by Sam Raimi consisting of four feature films and a television series starring Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams.

James and Mike discuss what will come of Universal's classic monsters. Will they ever get rebooted successfully?

James and Mike talk about one of the most horrific films of recent recollection. When do horror films become in bad taste?

Public Domain horror film about a human-eating plant, directed by Roger Corman, with a cameo by Jack Nicholson.

Public Domain horror film. Today, I bring you one of the early Roger Corman schlock-fests.

James & Mike talk candidly about The Ring (2002) Thanks to Travis from A Pyro Design for the logo!

Quentin Tarantino’s most underrated and misunderstood film about a killer played by Kurt Russell who murders his victims with his car.

An underrated thriller from William Castle about nightmares. Only available on VHS for unknown reasons.

This 3 hour made-for-television movie was aired in two parts. Based on the Stephen King novel, it popularized the idea of the scary clown.

Rushed out the same year as the original King Kong, this sequel holds up surprisingly well. Starring Robert Armstrong and featuring the same master effects artist Willis O’Brien.

The “so bad it’s good” movie from my generation. The killer doll Chucky is back, and more funny and likable than ever. See our review for the original Child’s Play here.

Charles Laughton stars in this overlooked adaptation of Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. Bela Lugosi stars in a minor role.

An underrated horror flick about scary dummies and a masked killer with an inventive method of murder. Effective, but uneven. Has elements of Psycho and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

A minor classic from the Universal catalogue, starring Bela Lugosi. Based on an Edgar Allan Poe story.

Today we look at a modern horror film about ghosts and possession. A young boy travels outside his body, leaving himself an open vessel for evil demons to enter.

The first color horror film!

A highly stylized take on the classic tale, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves. Produced by FRED FUCHS.

The original giant reptile from stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen. Pre-dates Godzilla by one year!

A non-perfect, but highly enjoyable stylized nightmarish film from Tim Burton, starring Michael Keaton before he was Batman.

Time to add some kaiju action in this year’s Monster Madness. We’ve already taken care of Godzilla. Now let’s talk about another important monster from Toho.

Roddy Piper has to lay the smackdown on some alien scum, in this tribute to 50′s B-movies. The X-ray glasses were referenced in the NES game Bart Vs. The Space Mutants.

Boris Karloff stars as a man brought back to life in a lab, very much like Frankenstein, in this typical horror chiller from the golden age.

How does a horror series come back out of the toilet bowl, after the insanely horrible Exorcist II: The Heretic? The answer. Brad Dourif.

It’s Hammer time! From Hammer Studios, comes the first in a horror trilogy about the Karnstein family, a vampire story even older than Dracula.

One of many “Black Cat” movies, based loosely on the Edgar Allan Poe story, from Italian horror director Lucio Fulci. This time, the cat is a killing machine!

Today we look at a TV series, Night Gallery. Rod Serling’s sub-par followup to The Twilight Zone.

Today we look at the most absurd horror film to feature two actors to win academy awards, Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey.

Man-Made Monster is a science fiction horror film released by Universal Pictures. The film stars Lon Chaney, Jr. in his horror debut.

An 80′s film that pays tribute to the 50′s. Alien slugs crawl into peoples’ heads and turn them into zombies.

Vincent Price hosts this bizarre sketch comedy show from the 70′s, starring various lovable monster personalities.

An underrated slasher film, with a masked killer.

A creepy horror film from the silent era about devil worship and evil rituals, also known as “Witchcraft Through the Ages”.

This year’s Monster Madness kicks off with Cabin in the Woods, a cliche horror archetype with unique twists.

Humans are such easy prey.

A family’s new satellite TV system starts receiving signals from another planet, and soon it becomes the passageway to an alien world.

GREMLINS chased you/GHOULIES terrified you/Now beg for your life… the spookies are coming.

Teen Wolf – He always wanted to be special… but he never expected this!

Only he can see it. Only he shares its magic. Only he knows the danger.

Are you eating it…or is it eating you?

Not all monsters are scary to people. Not if it’s one fighting crime in the Garden State.

Mankind vs. the ultimate eating machine!

You’re travelling through another dimension. A dimension, not only of sight and sound, but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Next stop, the Twilight Zone!

If you have guts…HE WANTS THEM!

You’ll just have time to scream… before it tears you apart!

It’s always midnight in space!